DATA COLLECTION

Six data sources were collected: field notes from class observations; individual interviews with the instructors; individual interviews with the students; a group interview with the students; documents such as curriculum guides, teaching materials and student writing; and my notes from a reflective journal. The data collection was "a recursive, interactive process" (Merriam, 2001, p. 134), in which one source influenced and led to other sources. For example, the observation checklist and field notes helped to shape interview questions, the individual interview data guided the group interview, and both of these data sources directed the document analysis. The reflective journal was not only used to organize thoughts, reflect on the process, and examine assumptions, but it was also a way to organize, capture, and process my own experiences related to the research questions.

Observation

During six 90–minute observation sessions in the classroom and coffee shop I focused on the observable elements of situated learning as described by Stein (1998). I looked and listened for the following: the ways in which students' and instructors' knowledge and experiences influenced learning; the physical setting, including the tools and activities; the community of people engaging in literacy, learning and work practices; and the ways in which these people engaged in literacy, learning and work practices (Appendix F). I took on the role of observer as participant, based on Merriam. This meant that my role as researcher was known to the students and instructors, and I participated in the group on occasion but this role was secondary. While in the classroom and coffee shop, I was sometimes asked to help with an activity or I sometimes talked to students while they were engaged in an activity in order to understand what they were doing and why. After observing for short periods or witnessing an interaction that I wanted to capture in detail, I would slip quietly into a small office or into the hallway in order to write field notes. I would then return to the coffee shop or classroom and continue the observation session. I purposely avoided writing notes in front of the students and instructors in order not to create discomfort and unease. The observation notes were key to creating a detailed description of the physical settings, in addition to the interactions and activities in the settings that formed four vignettes in the next chapter.